1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sound motion picture camera capable of recording the sound on the film at the same time with the film exposure by using a sound film cartridge containing a sound film capable of recording the sound information and the image information.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present in the field of the motion picture camera, there are the most conventional silent motion picture camera capable of recording only the image information on the film and the sound motion picture camera capable of recording the image information and the sound information at the same time. The silent motion picture camera capable of recording only the image information on the film has been known since long, while the sound motion picture camera capable of recording the image information and the sound information on the film at the same time has appeared quite recently.
The reason why the conventional silent motion picture camera is capable of recording only the image information and incapable of recording the sound information lies in the film used. Namely the conventional film is not provided any means for recording the sound information on the film in a simple way. Thus it is sufficient that the silent motion picture camera in which the conventional silent film is used need be provided with only the efficiency for recording the image information on the film.
Quite recently the sound film cartridge containing the sound film provided with the means for recording the sound information on the film in a single way has appeared and therefore with the apperance with this kind of the sound film cartridge a sound motion picture camera provided with the efficiency for recording the sound information beside the conventional efficiency for recording the image information has been developed, as is disclosed in the German Pat. No. 1,217,782, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,968 and so on.
The largest difference between the silent motion picture camera capable of recording only the image information on the film and the sound motion picture camera capable of recording the image information and the sound information at the same time on the sound film capable of recording the image information and the sound information lies in the fact that the sound motion picture camera is provided with the sound recording device for recording sound signals on the film within an opening formed on a cartridge housing for enabling the sound recording on the film beside the picture taking device for film exposure in such a manner that at the time of picture taking under cooperation of the capstan with the pinch roller as the film continuously driving means in the sound recording device the sound film is fed at a constant speed between the magnetic head and the head pad as the magnetic recording means in the sound recording device, whereby the sound signals are recorded on the sound film by means of the sound recording means.
In case of the sound recording device of the sound motion picture camera in order to facilitate the insertion of the sound film between the magnetic head and the pad as well as the taking out of the sound film from between them they are so designed as to be changed over between the state in which they are largely apart from each other and the state in which they are in elastic contact respectively with both sides of the sound film under pressure so as to enable the recording of the sound signals on the sound film, while in order to facilitate the insertion of the sound film between the capstan and the pinch roller as well as the taking out of the sound film from between them they are so designed as to be changed over between the state in which they are largely apart from each other and in the state in which they are in elastic contact respectively with both sides of the sound film under pressure so as to feed the sound film between the magnetic head and the head pad almost at a constant speed.
As the method for controlling the changing over of the magnetic head and the head pad as well as the capstan and the pinch roller between the above mentioned states, as is disclosed in the German Pat. No. 1,217,782, the head pad and the pinch roller are functionally engaged with the opening and the closing operation of the openable cover of the cartridge loading chamber containing the film cartridge in such a manner that when the openable cover is opened the head pad and the pinch roller are largely apart from the magnetic head and the capstan, while when the openable cover is closed the head pad and the pinch roller are in elastic contact with the magnetic head and the capstan under pressure or as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,504 the pinch roller is functionally engaged with the release means for controlling the starting and the stopping of the camera in such a manner that when the release means assumes the freed position the pinch roller is apart from the capstan while when the release member is depressed for camera release the pinch roller is in elastic contact with the capstan under pressure.
However in accordance with the method for controlling the changing over of the magnetic head, the head pad and the pinch roller, engaging them functionally with the opening and the closing operation of the openable cover of the cartridge loading chamber, when the openable cover of the cartridge loading chamber is closed, normally the head pad respectively the pinch roller are in elastic contact with the magnetic head respectively the capstan under pressure. If in this way, the pinch roller is in contact with the capstan under pressure even when the camera is in inoperative state, the pinch roller is subject to the plastic deformation at the position at which the roller is in contact with the capstan under pressure, because generally the pinch roller consists of elastic materials such as rubber so as to obtain a large frictional coefficient, whereby when the pinch roller is deformed, the film feeding of the film is disturbed so that the wow and the flutter of the sound signals are remarkable. Further, there is a danger that the photo-sensitive emulsion and so on coated on the film plane between the magnetic head and the head pad as well as between the capstan and the pinch roller in elastic engagement with each other under pressure should be deteriorated when the film cartridge remain loaded in the cartridge loading chamber of the camera without taking picture.
From the above mentioned view point, it is most desirable that the capstan and the pinch roller as well as the magnetic head and the head pad should be so designed that the capstan respectively the magnetic head are apart from the pinch roller respectively the head pad when no picture is taken while they are in contact with each other only when picture starts to be taken, namely in functional engagement with the release member for controlling the starting and the stopping of the camera the head pad respectively the pinch roller are largely apart from the magnetic head respectively the capstan when the release member is in the freed position, while the head pad respectively the pinch roller are brought into the elastic contact with the magnetic head respectively the capstan under pressure when the release means is depressed.
On the other hand, the motion picture camera is often placed apart from the photographer so as to be remote controlled, not being held by the photographer. This measures is taken when it is desired that the photographer himself should be the object or when the photographer could not approach the object in case of ecological picture of natural animals, whereby the motion picture camera is connected to a cable so as to be electrically operated or the motion picture camera is provided with a receiver in such a manner that the electrical wave or the light beam is sent from the sender at the hand of the photographer to the receiver of the camera so as to operate the motion picture camera.
However, in case of the conventional motion picture camera, there is no member whose position is largely different at the time of picture taking and non-picture taking such as the pinch roller for the capstan and the head pad for the magnetic head peculiar to the sound motion picture camera and therefore, it is sufficient to control the starting and the stopping of the motor for driving the intermittent film feeding mechanism for intermittently feeding the film at the film exposure opening, while in case of the sound motion picture, it is necessary to provide a special means for bringing the capstan respectively the magnetic head in elastic contact with the pinch roller respectively the pad before the operation of the camera because it is necessary that the pinch roller respectively the head pad should be in elastic contact with the capstan respectively the magnetic head during the operation of the camera.
The sound motion picture camera capable of remote control is so designed that, as has already been explained, in functional engagement with the opening and the closing operation of the openable cover of the cartridge loading chamber the capstan respectively the pinch roller are in elastic contact with the magnetic head and the pad when the openable cover is closed, whereby this kind of the camera has such inconveniences as mentioned above.
Hereby it can also be thought out that the engagement of the capstan with the pinch roller respectively of the magnetic head with the head pad as well as the disengagement of the capstan from the pinch roller respectively of the magnetic head from the head pad could easily be remote controlled by means of magnet, in case of the sound motion picture camera so designed that the engagement of the capstan with the pinch roller respectively of the magnetic head with the head pad as well as the disengagement of the capstan from the pinch roller respectively of the magnetic head from the head pad are carried out in functional engagement with the release means, whereby a remarkably large strength is needed in comparison with the normal shutter release in order to carry out the engagement and the disengagement so that a large magnet is used for producing such a large strength in such a manner that the current consumed in the magnet becomes also large and the power source of large capacity has to be prepared. After all, the camera can not be made compact and there takes place a problem of the portability.
Then it can be thought out in case of the sound motion picture so designed that the engagement and the disengagement are carried out in functional engagement of the release means that after the remote control device has been mounted on the camera body, bringing the release switch to be controlled by means of the release means the release member is operated in such a manner that the pinch roller respectively the head pad is in elastic contact with the capstan respectively the magnetic head, which state remains locked by means of the resuming lock means, while the operation of the camera is controlled by means of the starting switch provided on the remote control device. In case of the above method, the capstan respectively the magnetic head remains in contact with the pinch roller respectively the head pad only when the remote control is set operable so that when the remote control is not set inoperable the capstan respectively the magnetic head are apart from the pinch roller respectively the head pad even if the camera is left in inoperative state and therefore the inferior influence upon the pinch roller as well as the film can be checked minimum, which is very profitable.
Hereby the problem of the camera designed as sound motion picture capable of the remote control so designed that after the release means has been operated so that the capstan and the magnetic head are brought into elastic contact with the pinch roller and the head pad, the release member is locked by means of the running lock means and then the camera is operable by means of the starting switch of the remote control device is that the film cartridge loaded in the cartridge loading chamber can be errorneously taken out of the cartridge loading chamber while the camera is set remote controlable. Namely in case the camera is set remote controlable, the film between the magnetic head and the head pad as well as the capstan and the pinch roller are strongly clamped by them so that when the film cartridge is tried to be taken out in the above state, the film can not be taken out from between the magnetic head and the head pad as well as the capstan and the pinch roller, whereby there exit dangers that the film wound in the film cartridge is pulled out of the cartridge to be damaged or that the magnetic head or the head pad is deformed or damaged and so on.